A Man of Vision. Paul Coremans and the Preservation of Cultural Heritage

In June 2015, the Royal Institute for Cultural Heritage (KIK-IRPA) organized an international symposium in honour of its founder and first director Paul Coremans (1908-1965). Exactly fifty years after his death, it was a unique opportunity to look back on his extraordinary career and the impact of his innovative ideas and vision on the conservation and restoration of works of art. His ground-breaking insights have been widely recognized in Belgium and all over the world. Paul Coremans' fields of interest were broad: the conservation of works of art in museums, preventive conservation and climate control, the protection of cultural heritage in times of war - a highly topical issue -, as well as the status and role of the restorer, the importance of photographic documentation and scientific research, or the detection of art forgeries. Coremans' belief in the importance of an interdisciplinary approach to the study of works of art still inspires many art historians, conservator-restorers and scientists today. This book - the Proceedings of the 2015 Brussels Symposium - presents twenty original contributions that reveal Coremans' multi-faceted personality and action. It is the first monograph devoted to this visionary Belgian scientist and Monuments Man.